Livin' La Vida Logo Ilene Beckerman, Ilene Beckerman is the author of "Love, Loss and What I Wore" and the recently released "Mother of the Bride: The Dream, The Reality, The Search for a Perfect Dress."

Francisco Arias Cardenas Sandra Hernandez, Sandra Hernandez, a former staff writer for LA Weekly and the Associated Press, has written extensively about immigration, Latino issues and Latin America

West Confronts the Riddle of Putin Walter Russell Mead, Walter Russell Mead, a contributing editor to Opinion, is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of "Mortal Splendor: The American Empire in Transition."

Searching for Ricky Jay MAX JACOBSON, Max Jacobson is a food and wine journalist whose last piece for the magazine was on Disneyland food. He is currently working on making his waistline disappear

The Road From Trang Bang MARK EDWARD HARRIS, Mark Edward Harris is a photographer and writer based in Los Angeles. His book "Faces of the Twentieth Century: Master Photographers and Their Work" (Abbeville Press) features the work of 20 of the century's most acclaimed photographers